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The Analects – Chapter 136 (6.18). Balancing substance and refinement in noble character
6.18 The Master said, “When natural substance prevails over ornamentation, you get the boorishness of the rustic. When ornamentation prevails over natural substance, you get the pedantry of the scribe. Only when ornament and substance are duly blended do you get the true gentleman.”
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The Analects – Chapter 135 (6.17). Confucius’ metaphor of the Dao as humanity’s guiding principle
6.17The Master said, “Who expects to be able to go out of a house except by the door? How is it then that no one follows this Way of ours?
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The Analects – Chapter 134 (6.16). Confucius on substance over surface
6.16 The Master said, “Without the eloquence of the priest Tuo and the beauty of Prince Chao of Song it is hard nowadays to get through.”
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The Analects – Chapter 133 (6.15). The unclaimed honor
6.15 The Master said, “Meng Zhifan is no boaster. When his people were routed he was the last to flee; but when they neared the city-gate, he whipped up his horses, saying, ‘It was not courage that kept me behind. My horses were slow.’”
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The Analects – Chapter 132 (6.14). Dantai Mieming’s rejection of shortcuts
6.14When Ziyou was governor of the Wucheng (Wu City), the Master said, “Have you managed to get hold of the right sort of people there?”
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The Analects – Chapter 131 (6.13). The scholar’s moral compass
6.13 The Master said to Zixia,”You must practice the style of a noble scholar, not that of a petty scholar.”